Screaming In The Dark
by InTheWrongEra
Summary: I had convinced myself that I hated him. . . For so long, I hated every fiber of his being. From the eyes that never seemed to show anything but hate toward me; but always had me melting. The grin, that was never directed toward me; but always had me wanting him. From the muscles to the personality, I hated him, and for good reason too. But did I really? I wasn't so sure anymore
1. Chapter 1

**_Ten Years Ago_**

**_One Year Before The Hale House Fire_**

_A growl fills the silence as the pain in my chest becomes worse and worse, like someone is sticking a knife in, and twisting. My eye's flash a cold, glowing, blue and my hands fly to my chest, trying to release some of the pain as I press down. Cora and Micheal's heads snap up from their reading at the sound, looking across the room where I sit at the bay window on the cushions put there. _

_Cora, only being the young age of eight, looks confused at my pain, glancing over at a sympathetic looking Micheal for answers. _

_He shakes his head at the girl, and tells her to continue reading, as his large, muscular, nineteen year old body comes over to me. His slightly curly black hair sticking up at all angles, his brown eyes, watching me warily, with something close to pity in them. _

_If it wasn't for the three-year age gap, me and my older brother could be twins. _

_He sits across from me as I try to get my heaving, rasping, breath under control as it feels like I'm being suffocated and crushed at the same time. Micheal puts his hand on top of my knee, a frown on his face, as his brows furrow in concentration._

_He grips it tightly, and the veins in his hand slowly turn black, slowly crawling up his arm as his breathing gets heavier; while mine slows considerably. _

_I practically pass out in relief as the pain fades to a dull ache, and Micheal removes his hand from my knee; his eyes changing from the glowing yellow to a soft, mocha, color that matches his skin; identical to my own. _

_I reach forward, and squeeze his hand in thanks as I stare out the large window, my eyes tearing up to match the heavy raindrops hitting the thick glass; blurring my view of the seemingly endless green of the forest. _

_His large hand squeezes my slightly smaller one back in silent comfort; brotherly love and affection radiating off him. _

_I close my eyes, and a tear slips out as I wince, the pain coming back. _

_"Ryssa?" A small, soprano, voice rings like bells to my right, the voice filled with confusion, concern and a timid shyness. _

_I quickly pull my hand form Micheal's to wipe the lone, traitorous tear from my cheek as my other stays on my chest. My head turns to see Cora, hugging her book tightly to her chest as she shyly looks up at me from under her lashes; her blue-green eyes identical to those of the entire Hale family. _

_"Yes Cora?" I say softly, looking down at the young girl; my voice slightly raspy from not talking in so long. _

_"Um," She mumbles, before shuffling toward me and grabbing my free hand; laying the palm flat before dropping something in it,and closing my fingers around it; her other arm still holding the book close to her chest. "Grandma gave that to me, she said when I'm sad about her being gone, I just hold that, and think of her; but I don't need it anymore. I though. . .since your sad. . .it could make you happy too. . . " She says softly, her voice still holding it's child-like innocence. _

_I smile a little, and tears brim in my eyes. I quickly blink them away, and pull her small body into a quick hug; thanking her softly. She smiles at me, and walks back to the couch; sitting down, and continuing her reading. _

_I turn back to the window, the tears falling freely now as I lean my head against the freezing glass; one hand over my chest, and the other gripping the small locket that's now hanging around my neck, a wolf engraved on the front. _

_"It's gonna be okay Crystal," Micheal says softly, but the deepness in his voice is like a bass drum, loud and booming, even though he tries to soften it. _

_I just squeeze my eyes tighter, wishing the pain would stop. . .wishing what Micheal said was true. . ._

_"Dinner's ready!" Lourdes' voice rings through the house, my aunt knowing we'd all hear. _

_I go to get up, and I soon as I stand; I almost collapse. _

_The pain is crippling; ripping through my entire body and never stopping. My arms fly around my torso, trying to hold myself together as it feels like I'm being torn in half. I barely realize it when a scream rips through my throat, making the entire house panic as they run towards the source. _

_Micheal shouts my name, but it's drowned out by another scream. _

_I feel my brothers large, strong arms wrap around me as he picks me up. I hear him shout my parents name in panic, not knowing what was happening as he lays me down on the couch. _

_My back arches up as it gets worse, my mouth opens as I gulp for air; the pain crushing my chest so hard it feels like I can't breathe. _

_I scream again, my eyes turning blue as my claws grow and I tear at my chest, ripping the skin open in large, deep cuts that heal almost instantly. _

_I don't register both the Hale and Auguera packs shouting, not feeling their hands try to hold me down so I don't hurt myself anymore; and I don't hear the younger wolves, humans, and my mothers sobbing; all being drowned out by the agonized howl I let out in my fully shifted state. _

_I know what's happening. . . _

_Pain causes you to stay human. Pain is an anchor when you don't have one; but this pain is entirely different. The pain brings the wolf inside, out. This pain is worse than any you could ever experience. A crippling, agonizing thing that feels as though you're being torn in half from the inside out. _

_This is the pain that comes with a heavy, broken, heart. _

_The pain of your mate fully being with another. . . _

_I feel two large hand grip my leg as my father's familiar voice carries through the shouting, deeper and louder than the others; only being outmatched by the Hale packs Alpha, Talia, when she's angry._

_"We have to shift her back! Peter, Nick, break her leg!" He roars as he holds down my torso. _

_Seconds later I hear the bone snap, but I barely feel it; this pain being worse than any other. It heals, but it's not enough, and I can hear smell everyone's panic rise. _

_"I'm gonna fucking murder that little prick!" I hear my brother roar as his mate, Julia, tries to calm him. _

_"Shit she's strong." I hear Laura mumble as she pins one of my arms. _

_"God damn it!" _

_"Mother-"_

_"That fucking hurt!" _

_"Somebody help her!" I hear Cora sob as I roar again, trashing in pain. _

_I feel almost every older beta holding me down, as well as two Alpha's. But the pain fuels my strength, and I manage to move; if only slightly. My eyes are open, but unseeing. . . I can only see one face; though I know he's not there. _

_"Get the kids outta here!" _

_"We gotta shift her back Chris!" _

_The pain rises and rises, until I feel my vision blur, and spots dance across my vision. I roar again, the sound being more and more agonizing to those around me. _

_"Xander, get your ass over here and help!" _

_"Micheal. Calm. Down." _

_"Crystal, I know it hurts, but you need to calm down baby girl." My father's voice floats above everyone else's as I feel his long, strong, fingers cup my face. "Breathe baby girl, think of your anchor. Not the pain he's causing you, but when you two are happy." _

_I think of his face. The large grin that shows his perfect white teeth and the blue-green eyes that fill with love. . . but never when he see's me. . .no, I don't get that smile of those adoring eyes. I never get the booming laugh or the soft chuckle. The deep, velvety voice soft and sweet. _

_But I think of them anyway, dreaming of one day he'll look at me like that. . . talking to me like that. . . _

_Not her. _

_Suddenly, the calm takes a total one-eighty, and it's anger and pain and betrayal at full force. Especially pain. _

_The hands that had loosened all over my body tighten again as the packs grunt and groan with the effort to keep my body down. _

_"Dammit!" _

_"It almost worked! Try again!" _

_"Jesus christ!" _

_"What the hell have you been feeding her!" _

_"Shut up Lola!"_

_"My brother is such an idiot!" Laura shouts, her claws digging into my arm to keep it down. _

_"No, he's a selfish asshole!" Micheal roars, holding down my thrashing waist. _

_"No fighting!" I hear Peter snap at them. "Try again!" He shouts at my father. _

_But he doesn't have too. _

_The pain is too much. . . In a flash, every wolf feature is gone; and there's a scream, worse than any of the howls or roars that had come before it, causing everyone to flinch as their eyes flash either golden, blue, or red; feeling the pain of their pack member._

_My whole body is locked, arched in pain as I gasp for breath, before finally collapsing; the blackness consuming me. _

* * *

**_Ten Months Later_**

**_Two Months Before The Hale House Fire_**

_Mud seeps between my toes as my foot leaves a perfect imprint in the substance. My calves are black with dirt and mud as my bare legs get dirtied with the forest's wet ground. My body is soaked with the rain pouring down around me, but I don't feel it, even if a sports bra and jean shorts are the only thing I wear. _

_My waist length black hair sticks to my back, arms, neck and face; but twirls around me in a shower of water as I make a sharp spin, fanning around my face before sticking in vertical lines across the left side of my body. _

_I hunch over, bending my knees slightly, my hands curled with deadly claws coming out of my nails. My eyes are a bright, glowing, blue that's even clearer with the light grey, stormy skies. _

_They come into view, weapons raised, and I roar at them in challenge, canines sharp and bared as the sound echo's through the forest. _

_I launch myself at them, easily dodging the bullets they send, and they embed themselves in the tree's around me. I'm quick to come up behind the larger male, and he drops his gun, pulling out a knife a slashing at my stomach. I growl, throwing him into the nearest tree, hearing a few bones crack and knocking him unconscious. I smell blood pool around the large male and feel satisfaction. _

_I grip the barrel of the shotgun the other holds, yanking out of his weak arms and throwing it in the opposite direction of the unconscious male. The younger male takes a few steps back, shakily, fear pouring off him as his heart pounds against his chest. _

_I stalk toward him, and he freezes when his back hits the large trunk of the tree behind him. _

_"Please," He begs in a whimper, "Please no." _

_I growl, and in a movement so fast he can't stop it, my hand is around his throat; my claws digging into the soft flesh of his neck. I pin him against the tree, towering over him in height, and yank his neck to the side; and he whimper's at the bruising grip I have on him. _

_I inhale deeply, and feel disgust. This 'man' is a child. Barley thirteen. _

_I let him go, and he collapses, gulping in deep breath's I snarl, slashing at the bark above him; a sign that they were lucky I spared the child with minor injuries. He looks down for a split second, and when he looks back up, I'm gone. _

XxXxXxXxXx

_I storm through the back door, irritation pouring off me in waves, causing a few of the younger wolves to shy away from me; their eyes zeroing in on the dried blood underneath a nonexistent wound. I don't spare anyone a second glance as I walk up the staircase, leaving a water and mud trail behind me. _

_"Crystal wait!" I hear my father call, but I just growl in response, ignoring him._

_Instead, I pull down the stairs to my room in the attic; quickly climbing the stairs, not bothering to close the stairs up, already hearing my father head down the hallway. I walk over to the built-in bathroom and grab a small dishcloth, wetting it in the hot water, and scrubbing the blood off my stomach. _

_I hear my father stop outside the bathroom door, and lean against the door frame. I glance up in the mirror and lock eyes with him for a second before look back down and scrubbing the rest of the blood away. _

_"You were attacked." He says softly in a matter-of-fact voice. _

_I just grunt in response, and he frowns. I throw the dishcloth into the water filled sink. The water now a dark red with steam flowing out of the hot water. _

_"What happened?" He asked in an even softer, gentle, worried tone only parents could pull off when talking to their children. _

_I sigh, running my hand over my face before both my hands fall to the edge of the sink, gripping it tightly, the rippling muscles in my back shifting and flexing with the movement. One of my legs automatically falls back slightly to brace my body with the pressure I'm putting on the sink._

_I stay like that for second, trying to calm my body to talk to my father without unnecessarily snapping at him. I let out a deep breath, before relaxing, and mumbling in a quiet voice I know he can perfectly hear;_

_"Like you said at the last meeting, they're getting more and more frequent. Some seeming to disobey their 'code,'" I spit the word, despising it just as much as my pack, "This one though. . ." I pause for a second, sighing again, and shaking my head in sadness; "They were untrained, easy to take down. And one of them. . ." I pause again, feeling tears prick my eyes, "He was barely thirteen. A child!" I spit out, blinking away the tears. _

_"They're trying to up their forces," My father says, disbelief in his voice at the prospect of such a young boy hunting us. _

_I nod in agreement, and straighten up, wiping my eyes and turning toward him. _

_"Pack meeting in an hour." He says seriously, his eyes flashing red at the Alpha order. _

_I nod in agreement, walking toward him with only two strides of my long legs. I stop in front of him, and his eyes soften again; leaning forward, he places a gentle, fatherly kiss on my forehead; "I'm glad you're okay baby girl." He says gently, and I give him a little smile. _

_He gives a slightly bigger one back, and walks over to the attic entrance. But he stops once he reaches there, and glares violently at the person coming up. I sigh, knowing exactly who it is. _

_Turning, I walk over to my dresser, my back facing away from the entrance as I hear him climb up, and my father climb down. I try not to growl as I hear the stairs close up and the attic door click shut. _

_I can feel his eyes on me as I open my dresser door and reach behind me, unclasping my lime green sports bra and pulling the wet bra off; throwing it over to my laundry basket. _

_I nearly smirk in satisfaction as I hear his heart skip a beat for a split second, before going back to normal. _

_"Are you alright?" He asks, his voice hard, the softness in it he normally shows everyone else, never there with me. _

_I give a humorless snort, and reach down, my head bowing, and unbutton my shorts; before pulling them, and my underwear, down over my muddy legs. I hear him intake a sharp breath as he gets a full veiw of my naked ass. _

_His heartbeat speeds up considerably as I stand back up, and throw the items into the basket; "Why are you asking?" _

_He takes a moment to answer, but when he does, I just give another humorless snort, "Because I care." _

_"Sure you do," I mumble sarcastically, looking through my drawers; finding my sweats, a tank top, and clean underwear. _

_I pause, and look at him over my shoulder, seeing his eyes fight to stay on mine as his heart beats erratically."And when exactly did you start caring Derek?" I ask him, not giving him the chance to answer, before continuing; "'Cause you didn't when we first saw each other, you didn't when we found out what was going on with us, you didn't when you started seeing other people, knowing I could feel it every time you touched or kissed them." He's completely silent now, and I look away from him to close my drawers and put my hair in a tight bun. "And you defiantly didn't when you had sex with me, claimed it to be a 'meaningless accident', then running off to, only hours later, fuck the chick you've been seeing; not caring that I could feel unbearable pain every second of it." I spit out bitterly. _

_"Crystal-" He says, his voice strained, as I turn toward him, cutting him off. _

_"And you don't every time you do it again and again." He looks down, and I continue, "So I ask again, when exactly_ _did you start caring?" _

XxXxXxXxXx

_I stand around the large table in the basement with both the Hale and Auguera pack's Beta's. The two Alpha's and their mates stand on either end, with a large map spread across the cement table in front of us. _

_I'm in the white tank top and grey sweats I had picked out, my body free of all dirt and grime and my hair still wet in its tight bun._

_I stand, like many others, in a stiff, tense posture. My feet shoulder width apart, my back rigid and my arms crossed over my chest. We're told to stand next to our mates, so, sadly, I have to stand next to an equally stiff Derek; not noticing we stand in the same stance on instinct; with him hovering over my shoulder protectively. _

_I ignore the usual pitying looks from most of the mated women, hating them. The unmated members of the pack stand around and behind the Alpha's, they're mostly the younger wolves. Not many children find their mates that early, not like Derek and I did. _

_And I pity them for when they do, because they'll just get their heart's broken. _

_Everyone is silenced by the Auguera packs mated pair coming into view, and we wait silently for someone to start. _

_"Today, another one of ours was attacked," My father starts, causing everyone's head to snap to him. My father looks over at me, and gives a subtle nod. _

_I step forward, and everyone's eyes go to me. My father tosses me a sharpie, and I give him a small smile, getting one in return. I lean forward, uncapping the sharpie, and tracing the path starting from the back door to the ridge over Beacon Hills; while I talk, explaining. _

_"I was running through this pathway," I pause once I get to the ridge, the entire path traced. _

_I backtrack, my hand going back toward about halfway down the dark black line. "I had suspected someone following me here," I draw a circle, "But couldn't find anything, and decided to keep going." _

_I go back toward the ridge, and plant an 'X' right where the line ends. "The first shot was fired just right of my head." A few gasps and growls echo around the room, and I wait untill there is complete silence before continuing. _

_"I took off running to the right," I say, tracing a line straight through the forest, not close to any paths. "They followed." _

_I get almost exactly a mile from where I started, and draw a 'U' with an arrow at the end, "I turned, and waited. There were only two of them, two males." I clarify, "Both had guns. One with a pistol, and knives, and the other with a shotgun. Both guns had wolfsbane infused bullets. I knocked the larger male, with the pistol and knives, unconcious," I place a circle with an 'X' in the middle of it just under the 'U.' "The smaller male, with the shotgun, easily gave up." I say, "He dropped his defenses and begged. He was untrained and weak. And when I smelled him, he couldn't have been more than thirteen." Gasps echo around the room. _

_"I left him there with only very minor injuries and a warning," I say, drawing five small lines a couple of inches from the circle and the 'X.' "Before running back," I say tracing a line back to the large square almost directly in the middle of the forest. _

_I cap the sharpie, and toss it back to my father. I glance at the map, looking at all the recent attacks surrounding the house. Coming from every direction getting closer and closer to home. The few red dots around the map making me both angry and sad. _

_"That's the fifth attack this week." My father continues, "They're expanding and strengthening their forces. Going as far as to add children." _

_It's silent, before Micheal speaks up from next to Julia; "But why?" _

_"We're not sure," Talia Hale comes out from the shadows. _

_Everyone stands straighter, quickly becoming deathly silent as she approaches the table with long, graceful steps. Her mate is nowhere to be found, his death still being mourned even after all these years. _

_"But all we know is that they seem to be going killing any wolf with blue eyes, because it proves evidence of them killing an innocent," Every wolf with blue eyes, including Derek and I, tense considerably. "Every wolf with yellow eyes or red, they don't kill, just capture and question. Never kill." _

_It's silent as Talia's wise, calculating eyes sweep over everyone, pausing on Xander as his mate, Lola, tries to calm him. "Yes Xander?" Talia speaks in a pleasant tone, looking at the twenty year old wise a kind smile on her face, allowing him to speak. _

_"So they think they can just kill our pack and still think they're following the code?" He spits bitterly, his eyes flashing golden in anger. "I nearly lost Lola last month because they attacked Peter." _

_Talia sighs, looking around the room again, pausing on Derek and I; giving a small smile to her son and I. I give a small one back, and I know Derek does too by the way her eyes twinkle. _

_"We've lost many family members recently. Only ten of us had blue eyes, now there are only three of us left." She glances to Peter, Derek and I, "They are going to be the main targets," She pauses, "No one goes out alone, not anymore. Even if your confident in your abilities, it's not negotiable." _

_"Aren't we going to fight back?!" Kelly, a younger wolf with a temper even quicker than my own spits, shocking everyone. _

_She had spoken out of line. _

_Talia whips her head around to snarl at the temperamental thirteen year old, warning her. Kelly shrinks back, her head bowing in apology. Talia calms quickly, nodding at the girl, and turning back to us. _

_"If we retaliate, they will too. We cannot lose any more family," She pauses again, a thoughtful look on her face, "We cannot start a war. They may be trying to, but we will not." She says firmly, leaving no room for argument. _

_"Now, meeting dismissed," She says in a gentler tone, and we all leave quickly, not wanting to get in trouble with the one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, Alpha of our kind. _

_I'm one of the last one's out, but as soon as my foot is placed onto the step, the same kind, powerful voice, calls out; "Crystal, could I talk to you for a moment?" _

_Everyone pauses for a split second before hurrying out quicker than before. I stay just in front of Talia' inches away from the stairs, until it's completely silent in the large room. I hear her near silent footsteps walk in two long strides until she's only inches away from me. _

_She places a long, nimble hand, on my shoulder; "Is it still happening?" She asks in a quiet, motherly, voice._

_Tears unwillingly prick at my eyes, and I nod, my arms wrapped around my ribcage and my head bowed. I hear Talia sigh, and she gently pulls me into her arms, letting me sob as tears pur down my face. _

_I bury my head into her shoulder as she quietly tries to calm me. _

_"You are going to be okay Crystal. You both are. And you will be together." She says in a firm, confident voice._

_And I could only hope she was right. _

* * *

**_The Day Of The Hale House Fire_**

_"Dad!" I growl, dragging Nico and Nick Jr, the twins, into the living room where my father and most of the beta's sat. _

_I pull them in front of the couch, blocking their view of the football game; causing groans and complaints to fill the room. I toss the two in front of me, at my fathers feet, and cross my arms in front of my chest, careful to avoid the slowly healing burns on my knuckles. _

_"What is it Crystal?" My father asks worriedly, knowing I'd only come to him for something pretty major, especially in the middle of a workout. _

_My thin, muscular, body is covered in a light sheen of sweat. My grey sports bra and short black, workout shorts giving that away. My feet are bare, like they almost always are, and my black hair is in another tight bun, the midnight black curls always getting in my way if I don't put them up. _

_I had embraced my inner fighter after Derek kept hurting me. I had become one of the best fighters in both packs, agility and speed being my two greatest aspects. My slightly curvy, heavily muscular body was proof of that. _

_I give a murderous glare to the two ten-year-olds in front of me, and speak through clenched teeth, my eyes flickering back and forth from mocha to blue; "Tell. Them." _

_The two human twins both stand and look down guiltily as they mumble; "We coated her punching bag in wulvubnaf." _

_"What?" My father asks confused, not understanding the last words. _

_I snarl, "They covered my heavy bag in wolfsbane!" _

_"Nico! Nick!" Nick Sr shouts in disappointed shock as my father rushes forward to inspect my knuckles. _

_"Is this all?" Dad asks, worry clear in his voice as he looks up from the healing skin._

_I shake my head, "No, there's some on my right foot too." _

_My father growls, his eyes flashing red, and turns to the twins, ready to punish them. "Go clean it off, and I'll decide what to do with you later." He snarls at them, and they quickly scramble away to perform the task; knowing not to disobey the angry Alpha. _

_I smirk slightly, and they both glare at me. _

_I frown though when I realize I won't be able to finish my workout. My father must've realized the same as he smiled at me, before turning back to the packs; "Anyone up to a challenge?" An evil smirk on his lips that I match when some of them scoff, not believing I could belive them. _

_"Let's go then," I darkly, and they chuckle mockingly._

XxXxXxXxXx

_The sound of a body slamming to the ground with impeccable force fills the silence, and most around us wince. I smirk down at the dazed face of Rochelle, my cousin, who had challenged my to a duel after watching me beat over fifteen competitors. _

_Not a smart move on her part._

_"C'mon," I say mockingly in a tisk, looking down at her struggling form, "You can do better than that." _

_"Alright, alright." Peter suddenly comes down the steps of the front porch, "Break it up," He says, giving me a pointed look. "Molly cooked lunch," He announces, and in the next second, everyone is running toward the doors. _

_We push and shove each other jokingly, laughing and poking fun at each other; the fighting forgotten as we act like the loving family we are. I end up next to Micheal as we jog up the steps to our rooms to clean up. _

_"So," He says with a smirk, "How's homeschooling going?" _

_I pout, remembering how I had completely failed the math test dad made for me, and shove his shoulder. He chuckles and shoves me back. "You know I'm just teasing sis," He says with a smile, tucking me under his thick shoulder._

_"I know," I say softly, smiling contentedly as he steers me toward the large hallway bathroom. "I love you bro," I say softly, smiling up at my brother, letting the hard shell fall away for a rare moment. _

_He grins down at me, and says in a loving voice; "Love you too Ryssa."_

_I open my mouth to tell him to get the hell outta the bathroom so I could change. . .But it's cut off with a scream. _

_We look at each other with alarm before dropping everything and sprinting toward the noise. As we get closer, the smell of smoke and fire gets worse and worse. We both jump down the stairs, shifting at the same time; landing in almost identical crouches at the bottom of the steps. We get to the basement door to see the emergency bars down, and locked; the key nowhere in sight. But that's not what had me frozen. _

_As I looked down toward the basement steps, I saw my family. _

_I saw my family on fire. _

_Screams filled my ears and burning flesh filled my senses. Micheal launches himself downstairs without warning, trying desperately to unlock the barred door at the end of them. _

_I go to follow him, when I hear more screams. _

_I run toward the back of the house, seeing everything on fire. The walls the floors the furniture. . . everything. I run toward the children, seeing some of them trying to stop, drop, and roll like they were taught; but end up just. . . burning. . . I roar in anguish and fury, launching myself onto the nearest wall; hanging on by my claws. Barley catching sight of someone running out to the woods, my attention is taken off the person by a male scream coming from the kitchen. _

_I quickly launch myself from wall to wall, trying to avoid the burning floors. _

_Adrenaline pumps through me, keeping me from feeling the burns throughout my body. I get to the kitchen to see Peter, thrashing around the floor; trying to get the large wooden beam off him. _

_I jump, landing in a crouch in front of him. I toss the beam off his writhing body, not caring about the severe burns blistering on my skin. I throw Peter over my shoulder, wincing at every scream and cry of pain. I run out of the kitchen just as the oven explodes, throwing me forward. _

_I scream, mine blending in with the thousands on my family as they beg for life. _

_In my sprawled out position, I have a perfect view of the basement. Micheal is still there, completely shifted, roaring in pain and fury as he throws himself at the warped, burning, metal barricade keeping him from our family. _

_"Micheal!" I scream, trying, and failing, to get off the burning floors as I see the severe burns on his body. _

_He doesn't hear me. I sob quietly, making a split second decision, and grab Peter, hauling him over my shoulder again and running to the stairs, quickly climbing them, screaming at the burns on my legs. _

_It's everywhere. The fire, the screams. . . _

_I go over to the end of the hallway, and open the attic, climbing up to my room. The high space is just now catching fire, and it gives my body a couple of second to start to heal. I crawl over to the window, dragging Peter's limp body behind me. I open it, and take a deep breath; before throwing him down the three stories to the bushes below. Praying that I had saved him. _

_Jumping after him, I land in a crouch but stumble forward when I try to stand; gagging a coughing as I tried to get fresh air into my lungs. I heave, my back arching on all fours as bile pours out of my mouth, stinging my throat and nose. I cough one more time, gagging, before standing. _

_Quickly regaining my balance, I grip the back of Peter's shirt, and tug him to the front of the house; as far away from the fire as I can manage. I cough again, my already healed hand coming up to cover my mouth. _

_I lean down, checking Peter's pulse, almost collapsing in relief as I hear a faint thump under my ear. _

_Finally spinning around, my features already shifted back; I fell to my knees at the sight. _

_I didn't notice the tears streaming down my face as my family's screams filled the usually peaceful night. _

_I didn't hear the sirens of the emergency vehicles pulling up behind me and rushing toward the burning building, while two familiar teens rushed out of a police car to sprint toward me; screaming my name. _

_I didn't smell the potent oder of burning flesh as everyone I love is burned alive. _

_I didn't. . . feel. . . _

_I was numb. _


	2. Authors Note

**_Authors Note_**

_I promise you, I haven't abandoned my stories. _

_I just have a major case of writers block, and I'm forcefully trying to push myself through it. _

_I apologize to all my amazing readers. _

_I'll try my best to post a new chapter ASAP._

_I love you all, _

_Please have faith in me, _

_xEra_


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